Relief work in full swing in north coastal Andhra

Hyderabad: Relief and restoration work was in full swing Monday in Cyclone Phailin-affected Srikakulam district of north coastal Andhra Pradesh, officials said.

The rescue workers were busy providing relief to some villages inundated by the water from Vamsadhara River following heavy rains Saturday. The water level in the river is now receding.

All relief camps opened in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts were closed as the situation has improved, said a statement from the chief minister's office.

Over 1.34 lakh people were evacuated from 294 villages in the three districts Friday and Saturday.

Phailin, which crossed Odisha coast Saturday night, damaged crops, roads, electricity and communication towers in Srikakulam districts while two others districts were not affected by the cyclone.

One person died in wall collapse in Srikakulam district Saturday. Officials said the damage was not on the scale anticipated earlier.

Clear weather prevailed in Andhra Monday. Fishermen also returned to the sea as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) withdrew its warning.

Officials said electricity supply to mandal headquarters was restored Monday evening. The supply to all villages will be restored by Tuesday evening, except in cases of few villages which were inundated. About 700 people were engaged in restoring power supply.

Officials said relief and restoration works were being completed on a war footing. All damaged roads were repaired and cleared of the trees which fell due to strong winds.

Drinking water was being supplied through tankers and medical teams were attending to the affected people. Officials from Coconut Development Board, Bangalore are reaching Srikakulam to assess the damages.

As per preliminary reports, paddy was inundated over 6,192 hectares. Maize was damaged over 555 hectares and sugarcane over 145 hectares. Coconut trees were damaged over 3,219 hectares. Cashew crop was damaged over 929 hectares.

The district administration has constituted teams to assess damages to fishermen, agriculture and horticulture crops.